Never Look Back
by CSIfan312
Summary: CHAPTER 10 IS UP! A new CSI joins the graveyard shift and falls for Greg but her peppy personality is too much for some of the CSI's. Also, Nick and Sara struggle with their feelings for each other, is Alexis making it worse? Find out! R&R!
1. A New Face

**Disclamier: I don't not own anything of theses character but I wish I did**

**Author's Note:** This is my first FanFiction so I hope it comes out okay. Kinda long but I needed to get the story set up. Please let me know what you think!

s.a.f.

**Chapter 1**

"Where is Grissom? He's 30 minutes late," protested Nick as he plopped on the couch in the break room.

"I dunno, but this is getting ridiculous," with his hands on his hips, Warrick paced the room. Lifting her head out of the fridge Sara casually responded with "I'm sure he has a good reason to be late." As she popped the top off her soda can, and took a sip she noticed the doubtful looks on her coworkers faces.

"What? I'm sure there's a good reason."

With that Grissom stormed into the break room and headed towards the fridge. Grabbing a can of soda, he popped the top and took a long gulp. After a refreshing "Ahhh" Grissom noticed that everyone else in the room was waiting for his explanation to why he had kept them waiting.

"Thanks for showing up boss," said a very annoyed Catherine.

"Yeah Grissom, where have you been? A meeting? Lots of paper work?" an eager Greg tossed a raised eye brow to Sara. Grissom took a moment to think of the best way to explain where he had been.

"I was sleeping," Grissom responded very matter of fact, "because…. I was doing a lot of paper work…and I was tired."

Sara just rolled her eyes and shook her head as Greg, Nick, and Warrick gave her a "I told you" look.

"Well whatever you were doing, can we have our assignments so we can start to work. That is what we come here for right?" argued Catherine.

With a sigh and one last sip of his Coke, Grissom started passing out assignments. "Catherine and Warrick, DB in the Palms Casino. Sara you can me have a body dump over on Freemont Street. Greg and Nick I want you two to take the 419 up by Lake Mead. You'll be taking our new CSI Alexis Bensen with you."

"Who?" questioned Nick.

"New CSI, sweet!" Greg was more then ready to not be the rookie of the team.

"Alexis Bensen is our new hire. Ecklie thought our department needed so extra help. I know, I just found out an hour ago. Apparently she is really well trained and shows lots of potential. I told her to come and meet us here but I don't know where she—"

"I'm here!" called a young brunette stumbling into the break room, "I'm here. Hi. I-I got lost." She nervously laughed as she was met with confused faces.

"Oh good, Alexis you'll be working with Nick and Greg. Greg's one of our newer CSI's so I'm sure you will get along nicely. Well let's get to work, we got off to a late start so chop-chop." And with that, Grissom left the room. Sara soon followed but not before a quick "Hi" to Alexis. As Catherine and Warrick headed out, Catherine turned around and said "Don't worry about being late. Grissom's late all the time." And with a gently smile and wave good-bye Alexis, Nick and Greg. Alexis was now left with two complete strangers.

She wasn't sure what to do. She kind of just stood at the door and tucked her hair behind her ears and stared at her feet and then at her partners. Nick still remained on the couch just staring at her. It made her uncomfortable. He wasn't staring in a rude way, he was admiring her. She could always tell when a man did that. Though it happened often, she never quite got used to the feeling of someone being taken aback by her. Greg, who was leaning against the counter, pushed him self forward and walked over to Alexis. As he passed Nick, he slightly punched Nick in the shoulder as if to say "close your mouth". Alexis noticed and chuckled under her breath.

"Hi. I'm Greg Sanders. You can call me Greg, Greggo, 'G'," as he shook the new CSI's hand he became aware of the things he was rambling, "Umm, Alexis is it?"

"Yeah, but you can call me Lexi, or Lex, 'L' if you want but I don't particularly care for that one."

Greg laughed. He could appreciate a girl with a sense of humor. She was kind of cute. Nice smile, shinny hair, and gorgeous eyes. Oh, her eyes. They were a deep brown that seemed to sparkle. The more he looked at her, the more he noticed the awkwardness in her face. He suddenly realized that he was still shaking her hand. He quickly pulled his hand away and blushed slightly. Again Alexis giggled, this time loudly.

"Lexi. Ok. Well I'm looking forward to showing you the ropes Lexi. I think you're going to like it here in Las Vegas. Where exactly did you come from again?"

"Los Angeles. I had been working there for about two years. A year and 9 months, but who's counting."

"Oh, so you aren't new, new. Well if you need any help, I'm sure I can—"

At this point, Nick was tired of seeing Greg stumble over himself and decided to dig his pal out.

"Don't listen to him. He's barely level two. I'm Nick," Nick shook Lexi's hand and gave her a quick smile.

"Level Two huh?" Alexis looked back over to Greg, "Me too. Been for awhile," Alexis could see the dejected look on Greg's face, "That's okay though, I'm sure you can still teach me a few things."

"Well listen guys I think we should get going, we have a little bit of a drive," with that said Nick grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, Alexis and Greg began to do the same. As Nick passed Greg he patted him on the chest.

"How does she out-rank me? This isn't fair," whispered a stunned Greg. Nick just smiled and lead the way to the parking lot.

Alexis was pleased with her partners. They seemed friendly, especially Greg. Sure he was slightly awkward, that was just the thing that Lexi liked. Everything from his hair to the way he talked was spontaneous and fun. She loved people like that. Nick seemed to be a little but more serious, though it looked like he had a fun side every once and awhile. She was sure that this her new partners were going to be fine.

As the three approached the parking lot, she hadn't yet thought of driving arrangement. Would they take one car or would she have to share a car with one and the other drive on his own. Lex didn't yet have a company issued car so she would have to share with somebody.

"We'll all take my car. I really don't want to know what Greg's car looks like," Nick remarked as Greg slightly blushed. Alexis giggled and glanced over a Greg and gave him a smile. He gentle returned. "Come one you two, I'm driving."

"Shotgun!" yelled Greg. While it seemed like a harmless thing to say at the time, he wasn't too sure if calling shotgun was the most polite thing to do, after all, Lexi was their guest, "Oh, you can sit in the front if you want. I don't care really. If you want to, go right ahead."

"That's ok. You can have the front seat. I don't mind the back," replied Lexi. Greg was about to argue when she then said, "No really. It's okay," and with that Lexi climbed into the back seat, not even giving Greg the chance to change her mind.

After a long 6 hours at their crime scene, Nick, Alexi, and Greg were exhausted. Much to their dismay, they still had tons of evidence to bring back to the lab. Just as they had packed everything into Nick's truck, they scrambled into the car only to realize it wouldn't start.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" yelled Nick as he slammed his hand on the steering wheel, "How the hell are we going to get back to the lab now?"

"Maybe someone can pick us up? Like, Grissom or Sara is it?" suggested Alexis.

"No, they have to finish with their own cases. Plus, I'm sure they are just way to busy to—"

"You don't know that," interrupted Greg. He grabbed his phone and started dialing Grissom's phone number, "It doesn't hurt to call," there was a pause as Greg waited for a pick up from Grissom, "Hello? Gris? Yeah, um, we stuck at our crime scene…No car trouble…I don't what wrong with it…Well I was just hoping that you could maybe…busy I know but how are we going to get to the…a hotel? What about the evidence?...Keep the car locked… Ha, funny. I know, yeah, okay, bye," Greg hung up and close the phone, "Everyone is busy. Towing back to the lab will take too long, but I'm sure there a nice motel somewhere we can stay for the night."

"I'll call a tow truck," said a very annoyed Nick. He stepped out of the car and being to make his phone call. Now it was only Greg and Lexi in the car.

"You tried," offered Lex. Greg turned around to get a better view of Alexis. He shrugged.

"I was never good with cars. I wish I could be of more help. So do you like Vegas so far?"

"I haven't really seen much yet. Lake Mead is pretty cool. I saw some of the hotels and they look amazing. I wish I could stay in one. Seems like the whole world is on one street you know? Lots of —," she was interrupted by Nick coming back in the car. He explained that the tow truck should be here in a few minutes. Then they would go to a nearby motel and get rooms for the night.

"What? A double room? We're three people. We aren't like…together. We need separate rooms," argued Nick.

"I'm sorry sir, that's all we got. There are two queen beds in there. You're just going to have to share I guess," replied the lady behind the counter at the motel.

"Fine."

As the three made their way to the room, kits in hand, Nick opened the door to find a fairly small room with two queen beds up against the wall. They filed in and shared uncomfortable looks. How where all three of them going to share a room? Putting down his kit and making his way to the far bed Nick tried to make the best of the situation.

"I guess you and me are sharing a bed," Nick said to Greg with a rather disgusted look on his face. Never had he thought something like this was going to happen, "Umm, yeah."

"I feel kinda bad," Alexis said, "maybe we can ask for a cot or something?"

"There is barely enough room for us as it is. A cot would make things more crowded. We'll suck it up. Won't we Nick?"

"Mmmhmm."

After a restless sleep, Nick awoke. It was 4 in the afternoon. He looked over at Greg to see him tangled in his covers. _No wonder I was cold last night_ Nick thought to himself. Yawning quickly, he peered over at Lexi's bed. She wasn't in it. Scrunching his brows slightly he wondered where she could have been. Her bed was made but her kit was still in the room. Then he heard the faucet in the bathroom turn on. He called her name and she poked her head from the door. Her hair was wet and waving and she had a tooth brush in her mouth.

"Morning. How did you shleep? –old on," she went back in to the bathroom and spit her toothpaste out and turned the water off then came back outside, "Sorry. You guys are heavy sleepers. I took a shower and everything. One of you was talking in your sleep too. I couldn't tell who, something about clowns?"

"Not me," replied a sleepy Nick. Just at that moment Greg turned over and mumbled "Get away, I don't want to squeeze your nose." Nick hit Greg and told him to get up. Greg, startled sat up. Alexis and Nick just laughed.

"Where the clowns bothering you Greggo?" teased Nick.

"Shut up!" Greg turned toward the door and saw Alexis giggling. With a slight nod he said "Good morning."

"You know Greg, I always wondered how you got your hair to stand up so well. Now I know. You just wake up."

"Cut it out!" Greg protested as he tried to pat his hair down, "Are you using the bathroom? I need to just…"

"Go right ahead," an amused Alexis said.

"Thanks."

By the time Grissom met them at the Motel it was going on 6. They transferred their evidence into his trunk and then allowed Nick's Truck to be towed back to the lab. Nick quickly called shotgun, and Greg and Alexis were forced to sit in the back. When they arrived at the lab at about 7, each grabbed the bags they had filled with blood samples and brought them to the lab for safe keeping.

A few hours later, night shift started and the team was back to work. Alexis and Nick started on analyzing clothes found at the scene, while Greg took DNA samples to DNA. Since this was his forte, he decided to process them himself. Sara then walked into the DNA lab.

"Hey, Greg"

"Hey"

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be with Nick and the new girl?"

"Her name is Lexi and no. I want to do this"

"Oh," Sara was kind of taken aback at Greg's curt answer wondering when the playful Greg would comment on the fact that she looked like a zombie since she hadn't slept last night or casually hit on her like he usually did, "You okay?"

"Yeah why?" Greg didn't even look up at Sara as he concentrated on the hair fibers under the microscope.

"You seem…normal. Not going to make and snide remarks, dirty jokes?"

"Nope. I'm working."

"Please, I can count on one hand the amount of times you've said that."

Greg looked up from the microscope and leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh, "It's the new girl."

"I thought her name was Lexi."

"It is. Alexis actually, but she likes Lexi. I want to make a good impression that's all."

"Oh, I get it; you're not going to go after me so you look wholesome and less jerk like."

"I'm not a jerk! And I don't go _after_ you. I tease. You like it and you know it."

"Whatever Greg. She seems like she doesn't mind you. Maybe even likes your company. You never know. See you later. And when Hodges come back, tell him if I don't get priority I'll be very upset with him. See ya," Sara turned around and walked out of the door leaving Greg with the hope that maybe he would come off as a semi-decent guy to at least one person in the lab.

Sara walked in on Nick and Alexis and a very engaging discussion. Politely interrupted and told Alexis that Greg needed her help in DNA. He didn't but she felt like being nice. She also felt like being alone with Nick. She hadn't really been able to see him much since she was so busy with her leads on her case.

"Hey," said Sara gently flashing Nick a smile.

"Hey you. Heard about your case. Killer slot machine? Sounds cool"

"You say killer slot machine, I say foul play. I heard about you're night last night. Interesting…"

Nick chuckled lightly, "Well, there's a first for everything I suppose."

"Absolutely," Sara moved in closer as if to see what Nick was so intently looking at, but really she just wanted to catch a hint of his after shave, "What you got there?"

Holding up a bloody shirt Nick turned to Sara, "What does that look like to you?"

"A handprint," taking a closer look she corrected herself, "Two handprints. Like someone held him down."

"I think I'll go pay DNA a visit hmm? Catch you later okay?"

"Yup," Sara stared at the floor and slightly shook her head. Either he just didn't notice her advances or she wasn't doing a good job at advancing. Some how Sara felt that she was the one missing something.

_A little hint of Snickers; Tell me what you think. Does it need anything? What is too drawn out? Please Review!_


	2. The Green Monster Strikes

**Author's Note: **_This took a lot longer then i expected so sorry for taking so long. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews, they helped a lot. This chapter i moved away from Greg and ALexis for a bit and focused on NIck and Sara. I thought it was importnat for me to set up their whole situation. I will come back to Alexis and Greg for the next chapter. Thanks for reading!_

s.a.f.

**Chapter 2**

"You needed me?" Lexi walked into the DNA lab to find Greg busy in his work. He looked puzzled at her statement, "Sara told me you needed help..."

Not having a clue what she was talking about he figured he would play it safe and go along with it, "Oh, yeah. I was just umm, looking at these hairs. I don't think they're human. Take a look and tell me what you think."

"Aren't those cat hairs?" Alexis looked questionable at Greg.

"Yeah," Greg searched the floor for something more to say, "I just wanted to double check." _Why are you such a screw up? Now she thinks I'm an idiot_ he thought.

"Oh, well, double checking is always good. Sara made it seem like you needed help but looks like you've got it under control."

There was an awkward silence. Neither was exactly sure what to do. _Say something! Anything!_ Alexis screamed to herself.

"I like cats," Alexis blurted out. _No! Not that! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Me too, sorta," Greg replied. _Wow, Greg, great job._

Alexis let out a nervous chuckle, "Ok, well I better get back to Nick, we were just…oh," Alexis interrupted herself because Nick was walking straight towards the DNA lab with the bloody shirt they were examining minutes before.

"I think I might have found a pair of handprints. So I need Hodges to just process it maybe take a closer look at this foreign substance on the thumb and maybe with can make an ID. Where is Hodges and what are you doing in here?" Nick turned his attention to Greg, "You're not a lab rat anymore"

"Well Hodges and the rest of the DNA people are missing at the moment so I figured," Nick began to narrow his eyes, "since no one is here, I could do it myself?" Greg answered questionably, "See I heard from Tami on Days that Ecklie was keeping the lab rats extra busy and putting all of his stuff as priority, some scandal with the mayor's wife. Mum's the word though so no one can talk about it so if anyone asks you didn't hear it from me. Anyway, I figured I could help out."

"That's nice but I need you to analyze the fingerprints found on the shovel we recovered. Run them though AFIS and let someone else worry about those hair fibers," Nick said curtly.

Greg could understand where Nick was coming from. Greg loved being a CSI but he couldn't help himself when it came to extracting DNA. It was something he knew he couldn't screw up. He nodded his head in agreement and got up from his chair and headed for the door, when Nick stopped him.

"Thanks for trying to help. Take Alexis with you, and page me if you get any matches."

With that Greg and Alexis were out the door and back to the computers. Nick let out a sigh and bagged his bloody shirt and began to label it for the person who would be analyzing it when Sara walked into the room.

"Hello again; I was just checking on the results from the knife I collected from my scene. Where is everyone?" Sara walked up to the counter and stood across from Nick.

Without looking up Nick said, "Something with the mayor's wife," as he finished up his evidence bag, he lifted his head up and sighed, "How's your case going 'cause I've got nothing."

"Pretty well actually. Turns out your killer slot machine theory is wrong. Bloody knife I found under the slot machine will confirm it," Nick smiled and nodded in agreement but Sara felt that he wasn't really paying attention, "What? You're thinking about something."

Nick shrugged his shoulders, "I hate when I can't make head way with my cases. All I've got is a dead body near a lake and a shovel with no blood on it. I can't even ID the vic! It's just so…frustrating," Nick scratched his head and glanced at the floor. Sara could see that he was having a tough time. She know how much he liked when things well in place.

"Break is coming up soon, so how about we go grab something to eat. It will clear your head and keep you from losing your mind."

"That sounds like a great idea," _Yes!_ Sara thought. This was the chance she was waiting for, a chance for her to connect with Nick on a more personal level. Finally she could talk to him outside of work, "I'll let Warrick and Greg know. I'm sure they need some time to clear their heads too."

Sara just stood there trying to hide the fact that she was extremely disappointed. Obviously this was not working out the way she hoped, "Warrick and Greg? Yeah, that should be umm, fun," she said as she forced a smile.

"Maybe we should invite Alexis too, you know, to get her feeling like part of the team."

"Right….Alexis. Yeah, sure, that might be fun," Sara couldn't believe what had just happened. She was in shock. "I better go and get some more work done before break. See you later." With that Sara bolted out of the lab trying not to let her disappointment show and the fact that she felt let her efforts were hopeless. She sped through the halls of the Crime Lab, not even saying a quick hi to Grissom who was in his office. She saw Greg and Alexis crowded by a computer through the glass walls of the lab. When she caught up to them she walked in and said in a distained tone, "We're having lunch during break" and walked out.

Alexis and Greg just looked at each other sharing puzzled looks. "Does that mean we're invited?" called out Greg.

"Yes!" yelled Sara who was already half way down the hallway.

"Nothing like good service and cheap food huh guys?" asked Warrick as the team filed into a booth.

"Mmmhmm," replied Nick as he sat on the end of the bench next to Sara. Sara wasn't really as upbeat as he had hoped but he just brushed it off figuring she needed her space. Maybe something happened with her case and she was feeling bad about it. Whatever it was he hoped that she would put it aside and enjoy the company. Secretly he hoped that she enjoyed his company. He had always liked her more than a lab partner or a friend, but always found it hard to commit to making a move. He had been burnt in the past and he knew that being rejected hurt more when you actually cared for someone the way he cared about her. He was afraid of getting to close to her because he didn't want to ruin the friendship they are already had. He knew that if he was alone with her he would say or do something stupid and ruin the little chance he had with her. That's why he invited Warrick, Alexis and Greg. Sure it was nice to have lunch with your friends, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to be alone with Sara. He wasn't sure that she like him that way anyway, he would just make things awkward for her. It was better for her sake if his other coworkers were around. One day he would work up enough courage to like her know how he felt, but for now, he was just Nick the friend, and nothing more.

"So, Alexis how's your first day going?" asked a curious Nick.

"It's going very well. Better then I thought."

"What were you expecting?" replied Warrick.

"Well coming into the number one crime lab in the country, I thought it was going to be a strict and hardworking lab," the guys laughed but Sara's eyes narrowed. Noticing Sara's resentment Alexis quickly added, "Not that you aren't. Believe me you are. I just didn't expect such fun and friendly people. Nor did I expect a warm welcome. But you guys have made me feel included and I thank you for that."

Sara just rolled her eyes and turned her attention the window. She wasn't in the mood to hear some goody two shoes talk about how lovely her job was and how much she adored her new coworkers. Please, her first day wasn't that great.

The waitress arrived at their table and everyone started putting in their orders. When she came around to Nick he ordered his usual bean burrito. Next was Sara but she was still staring out the window watching the cars on the street thinking about why she was so romantically challenged. He subtle hints, or what she thought were subtle hints, didn't seem to grab Nick's attention. What did she have to do? Talk about how great life was and smile all day. That's exactly what Alexis was doing and he seemed to be interested enough. Err, that made her so mad. This girl walks in on her first day and everyone already loves her. She wasn't jealous. She was just annoyed. What was holding Nick back? What was he even aware that Sara had feelings for him? What would she have to do to —

"Sara!" Sara's train of thought was interrupted by Greg's voice.

"What?" Sara spun around to see an impatient waitress holding her pad and pencil, "Oh, umm, the veggie platter please, and a glass of water," She turned back to the window and re-entered her thoughts. The guys continued to grill Alexis with questions. For some reason Sara couldn't tune their laughter and causal chatting out. She needed to excuse herself before she said something she would regret. Before she was able to get, she felt a hand touch hers. She looked and noticed it was Nick's.

"You okay Sar?" Nick looked into her eyes with a concerned look, "Alexis was just telling us about her–"

"That's great," She quickly pulled her hand away. She could care less about Alexis and her stories, "Excuse me," Sara got up from her seat and began to push passed Nick who stood up trying to lest her by only to knock Sara over into the aisle. Luckily, Nick caught her by the arm and pulled her close to him. Nick let out a laugh and smiled. Normally Sara who casually laugh and brush the whole thing off, but there was something about Warrick, Greg, and Alexis being there and the fact that she felt so insignificant that she couldn't just laugh it off. She wanted him to want her so badly that she couldn't even take the fact that he was holding her because it didn't mean anything.

"I've got to go to the bathroom." And with that Sara pulled herself away and headed for the back of the diner leaving Nick to wonder what he had done wrong.

_Please review! Tell me what you think, it really helps!_


	3. Acquintances and Apoligies

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait. I was having a writer's block, but I finally finished the third chapter. I'm really proud of it. I think it's my best one yet. Take a read and tell me if you agree. Lots of stuff happening and I have lots more planned. Enjoy!

s.a.f.

**Chapter Three**

Never had she been so tired after work. She was no newcomer to the graveyard shift since that was the shift she had back in L.A., but still, Alexis was drained. Maybe it was because she barely slept the night before, or the fact that it was her first long work day in awhile, or maybe because she couldn't stop thinking about her lunch break she spent with the rest of the team. Things had gone so well for her up until then. Everyone seemed to think that Sara was just in a bad mood, but somehow Alexis thought that Sara's bad mood had something to do with her. Just the way Sara had invited Greg and she to lunch, how she had seemed so annoyed and bothered, and the way Sara seemed to ignore Lexi at the lunch table, Lexi knew something was off. The only thing is, Lexis couldn't think of what she had said or done to rub Sara the wrong way. For the rest of the night Alexis racked her brain replaying every moment she had been in Sara's presence. Was it something she did when Sara walked in on her and Nick examining their bloody shirt? It couldn't have been the time Sara invited her and Greg out to lunch? Sara didn't even give them a chance to say anything. Maybe it wasn't her after all; maybe it was all in her head. _Hopefully it will blow over for tomorrow _Alexis thought. _Everything will be fine tomorrow_. And then Alexis started to drift off to sleep…

Sara awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. Reluctantly, she turned over and hit the snooze button. _Why didn't I go to sleep last night? God I am so not ready to get up right now_ Sara thought to herself as she rolled back over and tried to catch a few minutes of sleep, not that it would make much of a difference.

Finally Sara had gotten up, dressed, and ready for another long night. She was still kicking herself for making such a big deal at the diner. She hated when her emotions got in the way. She had promised that she would not let her personal problems get in the way of her job. There where plenty of other hours for her to worry about what she was going to do about Nick and Alexis, she didn't have to use her work hours to worry about that stuff.

As Sara walked into the crime lab, early as usual, she stopped by Grissom's office to say hello.

"Hey Gris"

"Hi. You're early. Well earlier than normal."

Sara let out a much needed chuckle. She could always count on Grissom not to know about anything that happened outside the lab, that whenever she came to him, she didn't have to feel like she was being judged for previous issues. "I just felt like taking my time this evening. Not feel so rushed. How about you? Looks like you still got some paper work left."

This was true. Though Grissom had attacked most of his paper work, he still had quite a bit left to do. He was actually working on Sara's evaluation at that very moment. As Sara ventured deeper into Grissom's office, she noticed what Grissom was filling out.

"My evaluation huh?" she asked curiously leaning over Grissom's desk to catch a glimpse of what he was writing about her. Grissom quickly lifted the folder close to his chest to hide what he was writing.

"No. Just some in office paper work stuff. You know Ecklie and his forms and reports and nonsense. No one wants me to do science anymore, just paperwork."

"Yeah, okay," Sara smiled and turned for the door. Just as she was about to exit Grissom spoke once more.

"Additional Comments: Always punctual and has a great work ethic," Grissom looked over his glasses and smiled. Sara rolled her eyes and commented back, "Deserves more vacation time. Put that too."

As she walked down the hall towards the break room Nick was walking down the hallway. _Okay, just act normal_ Sara assured herself.

"Hey," spoke Sara with a smile.

"Hi…" said a confused Nick. He wasn't expecting such a warm hello from her. Both of them walked into the break room and put away lunches in the fridge and made them selves comfortable in there preferred spots. Nick sat on the couch and Sara sat in the chair across from the couch. There was a moment of awkward silence as each tried to look busy with their own thoughts. Finally, Nick broke the tension.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I"

"I don't know maybe you were still steamed about whatever I did yesterday. I did do something right? Because it sure felt like—"

"No. You didn't do anything. I was just not in a good mood that's all"

"Bull. In the beginning of the shift you were all smiles and then at lunch you were—"

"I know. I'm sorry"

"Don't apologize. Tell me what was wrong. I hate being out of the loop. You can tell me."

Sara wanted to tell him so bad. She wanted to tell him that she had been trying so hard to get his attention, she wanted to tell him that he should just tell her where she stands, and she wanted to know if he even noticed. But she couldn't. Not now.

"It's just yesterday I was hoping that you and I could have lunch together. I wasn't in the mood for everyone else to come along," Nick raised an eyebrow, "You know… 'cause I was tired and cranky and I knew you wouldn't mind," She could tell Nick was about to interrupted her, probably to say sorry for messing up her plans and that he had no idea she was feeling that way but she couldn't let him, "It's okay. I understand the whole 'let's make Alexis feel welcomed' thing. Just tell me one thing."

"What?"

"What do you…think of Alexis?"

"She's great. She's really talented ya' know? Good CSI. Has a great personality, fun to be around…"

"So what are you gunna do?" Sara asked skeptically.

"Me?" Nick could see the look in Sara's eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking, "No, no. Nothing like that. Are you serious? She's too young for me. I'll leave that one to Greg."

"Well you aren't seeing anybody right? So what's to stop you?" Sara just froze. She could not believe she said that.

Nick was taken aback at Sara's comment. Since when had she been able to give relationship advice? Last time he checked she was still single, a fact that hadn't changed for awhile now. And since when had Sara been interested in his personally life, especially how his relationship department was doing. Could it be that she wasn't just trying to satisfy her curious ideas but maybe she actually wanted to know because she cared? He wasn't about to throw care to the wind and gush to her. He needed to test the waters.

"Nothing is stopping me. I can do whatever I want but I don't want to. I have someone else in mind. Someone I've been….working on."

Sara frowned slightly. He had someone in mind he was 'working on'. What does that mean! The too young excuse was way lame because he's last girlfriend could not have been the same age as him, and she certainly wasn't older. So who was this mystery girl? Sara couldn't ruin her act now. She had to dig deeper.

"Well what about Tami or whoever that blond girl was. She was—''

"She was nothing. Don't roll your eyes. One date! That was it. She's the one who kept calling."

"And showing up here at the lab to see how her 'Nicky-poo' was doing"

"She did not call me that." _It's still Sara_ thought Nick. _This is hopeless_.

Though Sara was laughing and loving the way Nick blushed, inside she was screaming at herself to stop putting her wall up. _Why can't I just talk to him like any other guy?_ She cried. She couldn't because he wasn't just any other guy.

As Alexis hung up her coat in her locker Greg strolled into the locker room. He quietly walked over to his locker, opened it and put his jacket away and took his earphones out of his ears. He glanced over at Alexis who was fixing her wavy brown locks trying very hard to put them in a half pony tail. Very time she tried a few waves dangled in front of her face determined not to cooperate. Fed up with her uncooperative hair so flipped her head upside side and lifted it up again bringing her hair into a high ponytail. As she let out a frustrated "ugh" Greg chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Alexis answered as she turned to look at Greg, her arms still up making a pony tail.

"You should have left it down. It looks nice down," Blushing Alexis finished with her hair, smoothed the top of her head with her hand, and closed her locker door. As she turned back towards Greg, a curl fell in front of her face. As Alexis stared down her curl with the most disgusted face, Greg reached out and gave it a light tug, allowing the curl to spring back up, "I like it."

With a huge smile on her face she rolled her eyes and walked over to Greg's locker which was still open. "Surprisingly neat in here."

"Hey, I'm a neat guy," Alexis gave Greg a look of disbelief, "Okay….I just cleaned it out the other day," defensively he shut the locker door, "Anything else you'd like to tease me about?"

"Nope" Lexi replied and began to walk out of the locker room leaving Greg standing at his locker staring at her as she causally saunter off. _She is something else…_

As the rest of the team entered the break room Sara and Nick sat up from their lazy and relaxed positions. Grissom started handing out slips of paper to each of the CSI's.

"What's this?" asked Warrick.

"Read it and you will find out." replied Grissom.

Warrick scanned the paper quickly, "Your evaluation. Ahhhh, my favorite"

"Yeah, well normally you would have a few days to fill it out, you know to think hard about the questions being asked and form a fair, non-judgmental opinion –''

"But you're behind and you need them by the end of shift," Catherine interrupted.

"Yes. My apologizes."

"'Things to improve on:' organization" murmured Nick.

"Where are you on your case Nick?" shot Grissom.

"Possible suspect from the fingerprints recovered off of the shovel we collected. We are going to give him a visit. A bloody shirt I sent to process, not sure how that's going. There might be some prints on the hand print I discovered on the shirt, but I'm not sure yet."

"Sounds like a lot of unanswered questions. You better make some head way on this."

"Yes sir."

Alexis and Greg took the hint and got up and headed for the print lab with Nick following behind.

"Grissom seemed pissed. Does he always get like that?" questioned Lexi.

"Only when he himself is feeling the pressure. Hopefully Hodges will have some good news for us," returned Greg.

"Hodges? David Hodges?"

"Yeah you know him?"

"Unfortunately"

"So everyone feels that way about him huh?"

The trio arrived at Hodges desk. Hodges ignored their presence as he pretended to be wrapped up in something important. As Nick cleared his throat loudly, Hodge bitterly looked up only to have a somewhat shocked reaction on his face.

"Hi," Alexis forced a smile.

"Lexi, what are you doing here?" Greg cringed when he heard Hodges say her name.

"I work here now. Guess I can't get away from you that easily huh?" she let out an uncomfortable sigh.

"You two know each other?" asked Nick

"We went to the same college. And then the same lab in L.A. and now here we are…again." Alexis recalled.

"Who's been following who? Hmm, Hodges" Nick gave Hodges a skeptical look.

"Please, if you think I…planned to meet up with her again you're wrong. It's just a small world"

"An extremely small and uncomfortable small world" Greg chimed in, "Can we have the results from the shirt please, I'm starting to become boring and rude. I think you're rubbing off on me."

"You know Sanders, you get more with honey then with vinegar."

"Too bad you don't follow your own advice. Evidence results, now. Please."

With a stern expression on his face, he handed the print out to Nick, "Fingerprint matches the fingerprint from the shovel."

"Don't suppose you ran a background check on the suspect?" Hodge gave Nick a cold look, "Right. Of course you didn't." With that nick and Greg hurriedly walked out of the print lab and Alexis quickly followed.

"Is it me, or he just give you a foul feeling; like you want to just punch him" commented Greg as Nick and Alexis moved quickly through the hallway.

"He just creeps me out. He used to try and charm me with his horrific pick-up lines back in college. L.A. was no different. The guy can't take a hint. Then when I rejected him after he asked me to dinner –

"Ugh, he asked you out!" the boys said in unison.

"Yeeeah…"

"Anyway, we need to meet up with the Darnell Morris guy. Greg why don't you go run a background check on Mr. Morris and call me if anything significant pops up. I'll take Alexis. She hasn't interviewed a suspect yet since she's been here."

"I've interviewed suspects before"

"Yeah, but not in Vegas"

_What do you think? Please review! Lots more drama for the next chapter but I need to know what you all think to help me write it! Thanks for reading!_


	4. Crash

**Author's Note:** Once again, thanks for reading. I see a lot of people are reading and to those who review, thank you once again. I'n realyl happy with this chapter. Drama Drama Drama ia all I can say

Ok on with the story.

s.a.f.

**Chapter Four**

"Who wants lunch?" asked a cheery Sara.

"Count me in," replied Warrick.

"Me too please" chimed in Catherine.

"What about you Gris?" Sara asked a deeply focused Grissom who was sitting and the table in the break room with his head in his hands mumbling to himself. "I'll take that as a yes. I'll be back."

Sara hopped into her car and turned on the radio. She had finally decided to tell Nick how she felt about him and surprisingly enough, she was very excited about it. She had finally realized that she should just do it before it was too late. She had confidence that Nick would be there for as a friend no matter what. He had proven that to her many times before. As she was singing to the latest tune on the radio she arrived at a red light and happily stopped. As she watched the pedestrians cross the street she noticed a small café with outdoor tables. She admired the few couples she saw, having lunch together and people laughing and having a good time. _I should go out more often_ she thought. Just then she noticed a familiar face. It was Nick. He was sitting down and a small table eating with a girl. The harder she looked the more that girl looked like Alexis. In fact, it was Alexis. They were laughing and having a lot of fun. Then Alexis reached over the table and touched the side of his face. Sara could not believe what she was witnessing. _How could he do that! He said he could never… and what about Alexis! I thought Greg and her were…_

Tears started to stream down her face. _He lied to me_ was all she could say to herself. She couldn't stand to watch anymore. Without waiting for the red light to change she stepped in the gas and sped off.

"This hits the spot." Lexi said with a mouth full of food.

"Mmhmm. Nothing like a burger after an interview like that. Can you believe Mr. Morris?" Nick asked as he chomped on his burger. Mr. Morris was the suspect the two had gone to interview to see if he might have a link in their investigation. To both of their surprise their Darnell Morris was a crazy, shotgun wielding man who didn't like people trespassing on his property. It had taken four cops to convince him that Nick and Alexis weren't "dang-gone kids" playing ding-dong-ditch. Once Darnell was calmed down enough to talk to, he insisted he had no idea what anyone was talking about and that he was going to call the cops on them.

"I wasn't expecting some old guy to come out and try to kill us!" cried Lexi.

"I told you. You have to be prepared for the unexpected," just then Nick's phone rang, "Stokes."

"Hey Nick. It's Greg"

"What'd you got for me G?"

"You know Tami, from days? Well anyway, apparently she went on a date last night with Ecklie! _Ecklie_! Well, rumor has it that it didn't go to well and when Ecklie came onto her again in the lab she flipped out. Cause a whole big scene. It was GREAT!"

"Greg, I thought I said call me if again significant came up not to tell me the latest lab gossip."

"I know. I do have something significant. Umm, oh! Darnell Morris is a junior."

"A junior what?"

"You know. J-R. Junior. He was named after his father."

"Impossible. The guy is like 60…oh."

"He lives with his dad who has a record too. Public Disturbance on many occasions; tons of complaints from neighbors. Maybe it was motive for Darnell Jr.? I'm cross checking missing persons reports to see if there are any missing neighbors"

"Thanks Greg. See you when I get back to the lab."

Nick hung up the phone and started to chuckle.

"What? What did he say?" questioned Lexi.

"We interviewed the wrong guy! All that and it's not him!"

"What!" exclaimed Alexis. To her surprise, the ketchup bottle she was holding squirted right in Nick's face at the same time she shouted. Still with the ketchup bottle in her hand her jaw dropped. "Oh my god! I am so sorry. Oh my god."

While Alexis frantically looked for a napkin on the table Nick leaned back in his chair and laughed. Ketchup was everywhere; on his shirt, on his face, just everywhere. Lexi quickly handed Nick a napkin and he processed to wipe himself off as Alexis went quietly back to her food. After a moment or two Alexis started to giggle.

"I can't believe that happened. I am so sorry. I got excited and then the ketchup just…"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. That's what the laundry is for."

"True. Oh, you umm, missed a spot. Right on your cheek. No more to the left. No my left, your right. Up, little more, here I'll do it, "Alexis reached over with a napkin and wiped the spot of ketchup off Nick's face. As they ate the rest of their food they couldn't help but smile about the funny situation, from the ketchup to having the wrong suspect. Just then they heard a car peel out from across the street. As they both looked up they saw a black SVU run straight into another car driving across the street. A loud sound of glass breaking and the smell of burnt rubber filled the streets. Everyone at the café gasped. Some people stood up to see what had happened but Nick grabbed his radio to call in the accident. As he relayed the description of the street and the make of the cars he noticed the black SVU had "Forensics" written in white letters on the side of the car. He quickly added into the radio "Officer involved, request immediate backup!"

...TBC...

_No quite sure what's going to happen next. Any ideas? Review to let me know!_


	5. Crash Part II

**Author's Note:** _Hello everyone! Yes, it has been a long time but I'm back thanks to some anxious reviews from some readers. We are right where we left off so let me stop wasting your time and let you read on._

_s.a.f._

**Chapter Five**

Nick quickly hooked his radio back onto his belt and weaved quickly through the café tables with his kit in hand. Following suit, Alexis grabbed her stuff, and ran after him.

"NICK! What are you doing! Wait until the police get here, we can't do anything yet! You can't touch that crime scene!" Nick ignored Lexi's cries and continued into the middle of the intersection when his arm was jerked back.

"Nick…wait…one…minute," Alexis pleaded trying to catch her breath, "We have…to wait."

"Lex, I'm not trying to be a CSI right now, I'm trying to be a good civilian and help out. It's one of us in there! Didn't you see the—"

"I know, but you are more than just a civilian right now. You're on the clock and if you do anything to compromise that crime scene it's your ass on the line. The police are coming. You have to be patient," Alexis stared into Nick's eyes with the utmost concern as he scowled back. Finally his face relaxed and he gave a reluctant nod.

The two turned their attention to the two cars. They were unrecognizable. The other car involved was a small white four door so beat up it resembled a smashed soda can more than a car. There was a man in the front seat hunched over the steering wheel. It was hard to tell if he was bleeding because the engine was smoking but by the looks of the car, it was safe to assume. Nick looked hard into the passenger window on the SUV to see if he could identify the driver but he didn't see anyone. He needed to get closer. Worried, he walked slowly to the side of the car once again ignoring Lexi's warnings. He put his hands on the window and peered inside the car.

There was a woman stretched across the front seats, seatbelt still fastened. Her brown hair was in front of her face as well as her arms which rested by her head. A silver briefcase laid on the floor on the passenger seat and a coffee cup next to that. Still in disbelief, Nick squinted to get a better look when he realized who it was.

Nick immediately opened the door and tilted the woman's head to face up. It had confirmed his worst fear. The driver was Sara.

Alexis pushed her bangs out of her face and kept her hands on her forehead. As turned back to the accident she realized what Nick was doing.

"Nick! What are you—?"

"It's Sara!" he shouted back at her. He quickly turned back to Sara who was still unconscious. "Sara, wake up" he repeated as he gently shook her shoulder.

"Sara?" Alexis said to herself and she raced over to Nick, "What should we do?"

"I got her, go check on the other guy. He can't die"

"I think we might be too late for that," she mumbled.

"Lex, if he dies, Sara's a murderer. She hit him"

"You don't know that…"

"GO!" Nick shouted back. Startled, Alexis hurried to the victim's car when she heard sirens roar in the distance. She looked up and saw a parade of flashing lights heading toward her. She let out a reassured sigh when saw the ambulance and police cars and the familiar forensic vehicles. She was even more relieved when she saw Grissom stepped out of the front seat.

Nick heard the paramedics arrive but he continued to talk to Sara. "Sara, please, just wake up. C'mon, I can't lose you" but there was still no response.

_I hope this makes up for the wait…..please review so I can write the next chapter!_


	6. Waking Up

**Author's Note:** _So I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed I really appreciate the nice compliments and thanks to those who messaged me. I promise this chapter will have more Greg and Lexi. I actually rewrote this entire chapter because I didn't like how it was leaning away from Greg and Alexis. There is still Snickers but this chapter is about Greg and Lexi. Anyway that's why it took longer so here it is, hope you like it. Review please! I need to know what you guys think to read the next chapter! There are only a few more to go so tell me what you like and what you want to see and it just might happen._

_s.a.f._

**Chapter 6**

Nick abruptly woke to find himself clenching his pillow to his chest. He sat up and noticed his shirt was damp with sweat. Rubbing his hand up the back of his head he let out a deep sigh and just sat at the edge of his bed. _Was that a dream?_ thought Nick. Trying to shake the eerie feeling he had, he stepped into his bathroom and started the shower. He had no memory of the night before. The last time he remembered was lunch at the diner. Everything else was a complete blank. For all he knew, his dream could have been a reality.

Nick stormed the doors of the Las Vegas Crime Lab walking quickly to the break room hoping to find Greg or Alexis; even better, Sara. Anyone, to let him know that his dream was just a dream. He was running late so everyone should be there already but when he arrived at the break room no one was there. The pot of coffee wasn't even started. It was like it hadn't been touched since the night before. _Omg, what if wasn't a dream! Did I miss something? Are people at the hospital? Where is everyone!_ Nick's thought raced through his head. He left the break room and headed to the locker room. As he turned the corner he could see a figure hanging up a coat in a locker. He took a closer look at realized it was Warrick.

Opening the door Nick said, "Warrick! Where is everyone?"

"I don't know. What are you doing here so early? I came to get a head start on my next case. What's your excuse?"

"Did anything…happen last night?"

"Other than you getting totally trashed at the bar after shift was over, I not sure, why don't you tell me."

"What? Wait, early? I'm like 20 minutes late."

"Dude. I drove you home. Last night. Remember? Oh wait….yeah you probably don't. How did you get out of bed man? I thought you would sleep in."

"I feel fine. No, yeah I'm fine," Nick said trying to convince himself of that fact. He made his way to the bench and sat down, "I was that drunk huh?"

"That my friend, is an understatement," Warrick answered with a chuckled.

"What happened?"

"Where would you like to begin?"

A warm hand caress Lexi's cheek and then tucked her bangs behind her ears. She groaned and turned over into an extremely lumpy pillow. She realized that this pillow wasn't hers. She also realized she wasn't in her unpacked apartment or on her nice firm couch. In fact, she was still in her work clothes with a blanket up to her chin. She turned back over and opened her eyes to a very familiar face. _I remember now_ she thought as she smiled.

"Time to go back to work. I've got coffee," the soft voice said. He handed her a mug as Alexis sat up.

"Thanks," she responded as she grabbed the mug and took a sip.

Greg walked back to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Today, his hair fell in just the right place, his clothes laid flat instead of his normal wrinkled look, and his coffee tasted exceptionally good. He didn't mind that his place was, well, a mess. He didn't care that all he had to eat were some freezer burned waffles. All he could think about was that this was the first time in a long time that he woke up to a beautiful woman in his apartment. She didn't make a beeline for the door or make up excuses as to where she had to be and why she couldn't see him again. This woman just stayed there, perfectly content. In fact, nothing had happened which was not normal for Greg. They watched "Waiting For Guffman", one of his favorite movies on his couch while sipping root beer. They exchanged some silly stories and eventually she fell asleep on his shoulder. That seemed all too easy to be considered a date. Normally, "date" was synonymous with embarrassment, and awkwardness.

He popped the waffles in the toaster and turned back around to face his living room. There she was, still sitting on the couch watching the evening news while sipping her coffee and she couldn't have looked better. He had never felt this way about anyone; so much so, that he wasn't used to the idea of wanting to just kiss someone, or wanting to make someone a cup of coffee. Their waffles popped and he brought them over to the couch and the two admirers sat and ate, together.

"It's really nice of you to make me waffles. Thanks."

"Ha! If you're impressed with my waffles wait until you try my Mac and Chesse."

Hey do you need to like go to your place and grab some clothes. 'Cause if so, we need to leave like…now." Alexis laughed. She loved when he made her laugh. It was her favorite think about him. That and his gorgeous smile, and his wild hair, and his cute butt, and everything else about him.

"Hey, umm," Greg talked through a mouth full of food, "Do you need clothes. Do you think we should stop by your place first? Because if we were to do that we would have to leave like…now"

"Yeah, I guess we should do that," Alexis said as she lifted herself off the incredibly wore couch. Greg put the plate of half eaten waffles down and stood up too. Alexis quickly turned around and gave Greg a peck on the cheek. For a moment they just looked at eachother and then Alexis turned away and rushed to get her things leaving Greg still standing by the couch.

"What was that for?" he asked still in shock.

"I felt like it."

"Oh."

"And because you are the nicest guy I have ever met." She smirked and then motioned for the door, "C'mon. We don't want to be late."

Warrick and Nick strolled into the break room both still chuckling over Nick's actions from the night before. As they sauntered in, they were met with a very unhappy Catherine who had her arms folded and a scowl on her face.

"Does, timeliness mean anything to you two?"

"We were here. My coat is right there," Nick pointed to the coat resting on the back of a chair, "Rick was here too," realizing that Catherine's expression had not changed, he sat down next to Sara on the couch receiving a elbow to his side from appalled Sara. Nick shrugged and then turned his attention to Catherine.

"So Grissom is running late, as is everyone. Unlike everyone else, Grissom has an excuse because he is returning from a conference and his plane was…Why am I telling you this? Where is the other half of our team? Did everyone get up on the wrong side of the alarm clock?"

"Bed. You mean bed," corrected Sara drawing some delighted looks from her co-workers.

"Whatever!" Catherine snapped back. Just then, Greg and Alexis came rushing down the hall and into the break room.

"You say sorry. She likes you more," whispered Greg as he hustled down the hall.

"She hardly knows me. You do it!" Lexi hissed back.

"You're cuter!" Greg jolted back when Catherine met them at the door, "Hi. Sorry, car trouble," he lamely said. The two walked with their heads down to some empty chairs, Greg taking a seat next to Warrick.

"Bad day to be late bud. What were you doing anyway huh?" Warrick whispered jokingly just to receive an unappreciative look from Greg.

"I can't deal with you guys right now. Pick your own cases. I'm going solo," and she walked out of the room. Once the coast was clear giggles erupted as if they had driven out a mean substitute teacher.

"Guys, that's not nice," commented Alexis.

"Hey, you and you. Our case isn't done." Said Nick pointing to Greg and Alexis.

"Yeah it is. You left early remember? We stayed overtime and finished."

"Oh. Well in that case, I get the homicide at the Luxor."

"Nuh-uh. That's mine," piped in Sara.

"Sharing is caring," Nick said as he held the slip over his head and out of reach from Sara.

"Fine. I drive."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Nick smiled and followed Sara out of the room.

"I'll go help out Cath. You two can do….whatever you two do together."

_Another chapter done. R&R!_


	7. The Green Monster Returns

**Author's Note:** Ok so there was some confusion on the last chapter, I know. I will attempt to clear it up in this chapter; hopefully I will do a good job. I need you guys to review. PLEASE. This story is getting hard to write and the encouragement helps. That how I know that people are enjoying the story; thanks to those who always review and tell me what they think.

Quick Recap because I think we all need one:

-Sara DIDN'T get into a car accident

-Alexis and Greg had a moment at Greg's house (yes!)

-Nick got drunk and did some stupid things at a bar that we still don't know about and Sara knows so it will make things kind of awkward (I can hardly wait)

-The last line in the last chapter was said by Warrick, I seemed to have forgotten to write that in.

OK, on with the story!

s.a..f

**Chapter 7**

Two hours of bending down and recording evidence really takes a toll on your back, and both Sara and Nick were feeling it. They were both finishing up with their collections and working up and appetite. It had been pretty quite and awkward now that Nick's drunken escapades were no secret. The fact that he barely remembered what happened was even worse and he was waiting for Sara to remind him of that fact. Like she was reading his mind Sara broke the silence.

"So did that bartender call you back? It's so hard to resist a drunken cowboy back from the rodeo."

"That's not what I said!" Nick responded defensively. Looking back at his hinge lift, he then added, "I was from the Wild West…and I owned the saloon. And no, she hasn't called back, but she wasn't that cute anyway"

"Oh come on, you can't even remember what she looked like. Why the sudden need to get wasted I wonder?" Sara asked the very question Nick had been asking himself all night. What had gotten into him? He had never relied on alcohol to wash his worries away so whatever he was worried about must be big. Sara had been on his mind lately. More like 24/7; even in his dreams. He knew he needed to finally make that move, tell her how he felt, and find out if she returned his affections, but for some reason, it was too hard. Ruining the friendship they had was too big of a risk yet, he wasn't happy with the way things were with them. He wanted more. He wanted to be able to pull her into a hug when she was feeling stressed out without him thinking about "What is she thinking right now?" He wanted to fulfill his urge to kiss her every time she smelled of her coconut shampoo, or when her hair fell in just the right place. He couldn't help himself any longer; yet, he forced himself to suppress the feelings bubbling inside and try and wait for _the moment_. Nick couldn't think anymore, he couldn't even think of how to answer Sara's question so he did what he always did, ignored the subject.

"I guess you don't feel like telling me," a dejected Sara stated.

"No it's not that, it's just I," just then Nick's phone rang. He checked the caller ID and it was Alexis, "Hello?"

"Hey. I was just wondering if you were hungry. You and Sara that is, 'cause Greg and I are starving and we are close by so if you want us to pick you up something…" her voice sounded peppy and genuine as usual.

"That would be great. Thanks. Burger sounds good. Hold on," he turned to Sara who was putting away her printing powder mutter to herself, "Hey Sar—"

"Let me guess. Dear Alexis wants to pick up lunch because she is doesn't mind and it would be her pleasure to relieve our empty stomachs?"

"Yeah, actually, do you, um, want anything?"

"Tell her I am fully capable of getting my own food and she can stop kissing my ass," Sara made sure her voice was loud enough for Alexis to hear on the other end.

Nick gave Sara, who had returned to her kit, a puzzled look and then returned to his conversation with Alexis, "Um, she's fine, she'll get something on her own."

"I heard. I'll call you when I get closer," and with that, Alexis hung up. Nick couldn't believe how rude Sara had been.

"What's wrong with you? She heard you. She was just being nice. And a 'no thank you' would have been sufficient," Nick's tone had changed to a stern voice which he tried very hard to keep in check.

"'_She was just being nice'_. Give me a break. No one is_ that_ nice _all_ the time. She comes in here like Miss Sunshine from _LA_ and everyone falls all over her. She needs to realize that she is working in a crime lab with dead bodies, blood, and murderers and not running for class president."

"Why are you jealous?" Nick scoffed.

"Me? Jealous? Of what! I gained respect from my coworkers for being good at what I do, not because I deliver lunch to people."

"Nice people exists Sara. You don't need to be threatened by the fact that the new girl is getting attention," somewhere in there was suppose to be a compliment, but Nick was too flustered to try and recover, and Sara was too anger to try and find it.

"Threatened! Why would _I_ need to be threatened? Maybe you should just go and get your burger and have a great time with Alexis, obviously you like someone kissing your ass and inflating your ego," Sara was steaming. She meant none of what she was saying but she _needed_ to be angry at him. She couldn't back down now; the hole she had dug for herself was too deep to climb out of. Why couldn't she get her emotions together?

"You know what? I will. It's pretty sad that you don't see how great you are. You rather hate the whole world than embrace the good things that come to you. I just don't get you. When you've figured out weather you want to lead me on or push me away, come and talk to me, otherwise, stop. Stop trying to have it both ways, because I can't take it anymore. I'm done here. You can find me at the lab," all these feelings just came spilling out. It was the first time that Nick had been honest with her, but more importantly, it was the first time he had been honest with himself. All this worrying about how he would say 'it', when he would say 'it' was stupid because 'it' just happened. Sure, he didn't want his feelings to be felt over a stupid argument but he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. He couldn't look back at Sara, afraid of the damage he might have caused, instead he just kept walking out the door, through the parking lot, and to his car, hoping that she would find the compassion he had for her somewhere in his words. Knowing Sara, that would take time, and time is what he would give her.

"What did they say?"

"She hates me," Alexis answered Greg who was driving his very messy car.

"What? Who?" As he looked over at his passenger, he realized she was upset, maybe even tearing up. As he tried to stay in his lane he kept looking at her, searching for something to say or do. A long honk from behind his car made him snap his head back on the road, "Lexi, who hates you? Why are you crying?" he spoke to her in between glances back and forth from the front window to the passenger seat, "Lex, say something. Where am I going? In-N-Out Burger? Because the turn is coming up..."

"Yeah," Alexis wiped the tear away from her eyes and stared straight ahead. She felt a hand behind her head that moved down to her shoulder, comforting her.

"What happened?"

"Sara. She hates me. She thinks I'm a suck up and that I'm just trying to make friends and she hates me."

"No she doesn't. She doesn't even know you. She is just, Sara. I'm sure that she is having Nick issues and she is feeling bad and when she gets like that, she can't stand when other people are happier than her. Misery likes company you know?" Greg touched the side of her face and then put his hand back on the wheel.

"Nick issues? Are they a thing? I didn't know that," Alexis turned to Greg who had a guilty look on his face, "You weren't suppose to say that huh? Don't worry, if they don't want anyone to know I won't tell."

"No, it's not that. Well yes and no. They aren't 'a thing' but more like two cowardly bulls squaring off waiting for the other make the first move. Well, maybe not bulls, because they don't want to fight each other. More lik…pigs! Two timid pigs that are scared to ask the other pig to share the mud pit because they are shy and afraid the other pig won't like the fact that another pig likes them because what if the pig wants to be alone, or wants to 'just be friends'. What the problem is that both pigs are too wrapped up with asking the other pig to share mud with them that they both can't see what right in front of them, which is each other. They can't see that they would make a great pig couple. You know what I don't really like the pig analogy, but you get it right?" Greg looked over at Alexis, and was met with a wide grin, "What?"

"Pigs?" Alexis burst into laugher, "Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

"Um, your welcome, but I was really trying to explain the situation. It's not you. It's Sara."

"I get that now. Thank you."

They arrived at the drive through and ordered their fast food dinners. For the ride back to the lab, they thought up different animals that could possible demonstrate the relationship between Sara and Nick and laughed about it.

Sara never did find Nick at the lab. She kept herself busy with DNA and Trace and avoided crossing Nick's path or Alexis' path for that matter. She needed to cool off and get her head straight. It was a good thing that she did because Alexis wasn't sure if she could face Sara now that she had a permanent image of a pig in her head whenever she thought about her.

_Nick and Warrick had just finished grabbing a bite for lunch. They walked out of their favorite diner and joked about girls. Days off where always nice, and not having to think about cases and evidence was even better. The strip was very different during the day. Nick had always felt that Las Vegas lost some of its magic and allure during the day, and was one of the few cities that were more inviting at night. As they prepared to cross the street, a car came racing out of a side street and hit the on coming traffic head on. Nick watched in horror as Sara climbed out of the front seat of the car that was hit, head bleeding and visibly confused. She stumbled through the open intersection, holding her head. Nick ran over to her and grabbed he arm to try and support her, but she was too woozy and fell on the ground. As a bloody Sara lay on the ground, Nick just stared, completely speechless. He couldn't talk, he couldn't call of help, and all he could do was watch his beloved friend unconscious on the pavement. _

Nick woke up with a scream. What was this? Why was he dreaming these things? What did this mean? Did he want something bad to happen to Sara? Of course not, he loved her. Was he having visions? No, that's stupid, he didn't believe in that stuff. He had thought that he had dealt with his feelings, what was left to deal with? Something wasn't right but he had no time to think about what because he was running late for his shift.

_Good? More confusing? Better? Worse? Suggestions? REVIEW PLEASE!_


	8. Kisses and Makeups

Author's Note: Hey everyone, I know it has been a while but I'm back with a new chapter. We are getting to the end here so get ready for some resolution for our star couples. Hopefully you will enjoy it. I've been working on this chapter for some time now so please, please tell me what you think! Also, I named the previous chapters, as well as this one. It makes one difference to the story but maybe you guys and get a little hint what is going to happen in this chapter by the title (hehehe)

Chapter 8

The team was met with a crowded room of police officers, detectives, and supervisors. Brass was at the front of the room, his voice booming with haste and authority. Grissom spotted his CSI's and motioned for them, directing them to an empty row of seats in the back of the room. One by one they were to file in, Nick was first to take a seat. Greg stepped aside and extended his hand out to the chairs and slightly bowed and he smiled at Alexis and whispered "Ladies first". Alexis smirked and then filed in. Again Greg stayed on the edge of the aisle as he gestured to Sara to sit.

"Sara," he again smiled.

"Just go in," Sara replied as she pushed her fellow coworker into his seat, taking the end for herself. She was adamant to stay as far away from Nick as possible for they had not been on speaking terms for a week. They didn't try to hide the fact that they couldn't stand to be in the same room as each other, Grissom had even confronted them about it telling them it was bad for team chemistry and to leave home at home; neither chose to listen, each waiting for the other to make the first apology.

"Conner Matherson, age eleven; he has been missing since Monday, that was four days ago. Parents called after he didn't come home after soccer practice roughly 8 'o clock Monday evening. Parents say he walks home from practice everyday. Practice ends at 7, parents get home at 7:30, that leaves an unaccounted 30 minutes. We have pulled up all known predators within a 5 mile radius of the soccer field, no luck yet..."

Brass' voice trailed off as maps and diagrams flashed on the projection screen. Alexis turned to look at Nick and found him intently listening to what Brass had to say. He face was stern and emotionless. Her guess was he wasn't listening at all but making sure Sara saw how unaffected he was by the fact that Sara was a few feet away. Alexis then leaned forward to see Sara who was furiously taking notes. Sara's work was the way Sara handled her stress, even new comer Alexis knew that. She could tell though, that Sara was more nervous and more stressed then usually. The tension coming from Nick and Sara was so strong, it started to make Alexis anxious too. She began to shift in her chair, shake her leg nervously, and play with her hair. Greg even noticed and asked if she was okay. Luckily the meeting was short and the CSI's were excused. Sara got up immediately and stormed out of the room, Greg took his time getting up from his chair, taking his notepad off his seat and shuffling carefully passed the single empty chair once occupied by Sara.

"Greg, hurry up," a stern voice egged behind him. Nick was anxious to leave to.

"I'm going!" he hissed back. Finally Greg stepped aside to let an eager Nick through, "She went down the hall," he whispered as Nick passed him.

Nick gave a quick nod of appreciation and hastily made his way down the hall, looking through each glass wall that separated the rooms in the Crime Lab. As he made his way to the end of the hall, he noticed a dimly lit room with a small figure hunched over the table inside. He stared for a moment, confirming his belief that is was in fact Sara. Confidently, he pulled the door open and went inside the room.

"We need to talk," Nick put his hands on his hips and waited for a response. Sara slowly lifted her head from her work and raised her eye brow, then returned to her notes, "Sara," he addressed her again.

"What?" she curtly answered as she leaned back in her chair to look at Nick's towering stance.

"Never mind," Nick sighed. Sara's calm demeanor enraged Nick to the point where he lost all thought of what he was about to say. He went for the door, and then she stopped him.

"Why do you always do that?" Nick paused and then turned around slowly.

"Excuse me?"

"Avoid the situation. How is it so easy for you to just walk away?" a hint of sadness fell on Sara's face.

"I don't like holding grudges Sara. There's no point in staying mad at someone."

"You never resolve anything. You just ignore it!" Sara lifted out of her seat.

"Look who's talking!"

"Me!" Sara moved from behind the table and walked towards Nick, "Me?"

"For a week you've been cold and irritable, not only to me but the others too. What are you so pissed off about? I know it's about me. Just get it out in the open."

"I don't know." Sara looked down at her feet.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Nick rolled his eyes, his temper rising. _She always avoids the issue._

"I mean I can't remember! I can't remember why. I thought it was because of something but it's not." Sara, now with her back turned to Nick recalled the days she was furious at Nick for not being more open with his feelings. The days when she wanted to send Alexis on a plane back to L.A. because she was making Sara's life hell, but Sara knew that wasn't the real reasons she was upset. Sara was mad at Sara. Why couldn't Sara be more open with her feelings? Why didn't Sara try and be an optimist instead of always looking at the dark parts of life. She was mad at herself and had been projecting her hatred for herself on the people that cared for her most. She knew it was wrong yet she did it any way. Tears of hate and frustration began to form in her eyes.

"Sara, are you crying?" Nick placed his hand on her shoulder and moved to face her, giving her a concerning look.

"No!" Sara blurted as she turned her head to wipe away the tears that began to fall.

"Sar, yes you are. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Just stop apologizing. It's not your fault. None of this is. I'm such a screw up. You don't deserve someone like me."

"That's not true. You are best thing for me. I need someone who can make me laugh just as easy as they can put me down. You can me a better person. I like you way too much to see you cry. Come on now," Nick wiped a tear from Sara's face and lifted her chin, and without hesitation, placed a peck on her cheek.

Both stood in silence, tears still streaming down Sara's face and Nick still caressing Sara's face. They stared at one another and leaned in for another kiss, this time locking lips. It felt wonderful, like a weight was lifted off both of their shoulder. Sara wrapped her arms around Nick's strong neck and Nick pulled Sara's slight frame close to his body, never parting their lips. Nick walked backwards and hit the corner of the table then the chair that was tucked under the table. Sara, still clung onto Nick slowly directed them to the blinds that hung from the huge window of the room. Sara fumbled for the cord and closed the blinds to keep her exhilarating moment private.

Paper filled up the entire work bench that Alexis and Greg were working on. Police report and case files all mixed into one huge pile. Greg's eyes stung from all the reading he was doing. His hand cramped from the massive amounts of notes he had been taking. No breaks, just work. Lexi was still, looking lazily at pieces of paper, writing here and there, never once showing signs of discomfort or frustration. Greg on the other hand was bored out of his mind. Letting out a huge sigh, he put his head in his arms that were crossed on the table looking up at his partner seated at the other end on the work bench.

"You looking very nice Lexi," he said. Alexis gave him a strange look.

"Thanks," she said as she returned to her work.

"Did you do something different to your hair? It looks exceptionally nice this evening."

"Greg, it's in a ponytail."

"It still looks nice," Greg leaned his elbow on the table and his head on his hand, staring at Lexis, admiring her every move, "You know, I think you are the prettiest CSI at this lab. Maybe even the prettiest woman I've ever seen."

"Greg stop it," now blushing, Alexis found it hard to focus, "I have to do my work," Greg wheeled his chair next to Alexis and snatched the pen she was writing with out of her hand and started moving her papers around.

"Greg stop!" she squealed, "Give that back. Go do your work."

"I can't. You are too distracting," Greg gave an unreserved smile as he swung back and forth in his chair examining the pen he had stolen.

"Shut up," Lexi said, trying to shake off his comment reaching for the pen soon rasied above Greg's head.

"Did I ever tell you how cute you look when you get embarrassed?," Greg chuckled, his arm still outstretch over his head.

"Greg, get serious. Come on," it's not that Alexis didn't like being complimented, especially from Greg, but her cheeks were so hot and red, she didn't think she could take any more of Greg's flattery.

"Alright fine, but I'm staying here. It's lonely where I was sitting before," Greg reluctantly returned her pen and sat back in his chair.

"Right, because five feet across the table is _so_ far away."

"Is that only five feet? It seemed like more than that. Let's measure it and see. I'll go find a tape measurer," Greg got up and began opening drawers and cabinets finding any excuse not to sit down and to his work.

"Greg, help me. The faster we get this done, the faster we can go and eat," Alexis tugged on Greg's hand, her hand tingling with excitement. Greg swung around returning to his seat and rested his and Lexi's hand on his knee. He gazed into the beautiful amber eyes that sat before him, admiring the way each lash curled slightly. His eyes made its way across the high cheek bones spotted with freckles, down her perfectly rounded nose leading to the expertly sculpted peach lips.

"You want to go on a date with me?" Greg calmly asked, still mesmerized by her comely face, "I mean like a real date where I pick you up and buy dinner and you can dress up all nice."

"What are saying about the way I dress?" she playfully responded. Greg's other hand now rested on top of hers.

"I'm serious Lexi. We're good together," Greg couldn't have been more sincere. How could Lexi say no? She didn't want to say no, in fact she had been waiting for him to ask her this very question. If he hadn't just done so, she thought she might have had to do it herself. She smiled and nodded at Greg.

"Is that a yes? What is that?"

"It's a yes you goofball. Now get back to work."

Greg wheeled back over to his end of the table and started his work again, butterflies in his stomach and his mind completely off task. It was harder than ever to concentrate on the piles of work that waiting in front of him.

_Reviews, reviews, reviews!_


	9. Date Night pt 1

Author's Note: I know that I haven't written in like FOREVER. I'm sorry. I've had this chapter written for awhile but I hadn't gotten the chance to post it due the fact that I have been so busy. Hopefully you guys are still reading and still liking the story. Of couse reviews are appreciated and suggestions would be great. Thanks for reading!

**Chapter 9**

Nick and Sara pulled apart from each other, avoiding eye contact. Sara gently tucked her hair back behind her ears as Nick nervously cleared his throat.

"So, um," Nick said as he turned to try and talk to Sara who seemed more interested at the floor then what he was saying, "Those case files you had…"

"Yeah, I had just started," Sara chuckled apprehensively now focusing her attention on her papers.

"Do you need help at all, or should I just—" Nick tensely continued.

"Yeah, I got it. It's fine." Sara spoke loudly as if to cover up the awkward feeling in the air.

Nick cleared his throat and said, "Okay. Great. I got some stuff to do, results in the lab and so I'm going to go and do that," Nick realized that Sara had already situated herself at the table, pretending to get right back to work. He gave a quick nod and then reached for the door and opened it, before Sara voiced called out once more.

"Are you trying to grow a mustache or something 'cause your upper lip was a little," Sara gave him a questionable face with a hint of a smile, "Don't do that. That's so old Vegas and you just, just don't do that."

Nick shook his head with a big grin and walked out. _Good, things didn't change too much_ he thought. But what was he going to do? He couldn't just leave it like that. A heavy makeout session is not what he was going for. But whose court was the ball in now? It had just sort of…happened. He wasn't all that sure but he knew exactly the person to talk to.

"Rick!" Nick raced into the audio visual room and spotted the person he was looking for.

"What up?" Warrick responded as he intently watched the screen in front of him. He had being watching the same clip of surveillance footage over and over again, trying to see something probative he could use in his investigation.

"I did something."

"Look, I've been at this surveillance tape for two hours, I don't have time for—"

"No. Personally, I did something and I do know how to fix it," Nick answered hastily, searching in Warrick's facial expressions for some kind of answer. Warrick leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

"What did you _do_?" he asked suspiciously. Nick paused briefly, trying to think of a delicate way to say he just kissed his coworker in a dark unused room in the lab. He leaned in and looked behind his shoulder to make sure Greg wasn't watching.

"I kissed Sara."

"You what!"

"Shhhh! I know, but it just happened," Nick tried to explain himself. Warrick put his elbow on the table next to the keyboard and rested his hand on his face.

"Wow. I don't know what to say. What did she say! How did this go down?"

Nick explained, play by play of what happened. Everything detail of the back story between them hoping that Warrick's wisdom would lend a path as to what he should do next. After much consideration Warrick finally spoke.

"I think you should go out," Nick surprised look prompted Warrick to continue, "Take her to a nice relaxed place and start over again. You can't just start a relationship like that. Kissing in a closet and then running away. Man, honestly, what were you thinking?"

"It was a room, not a closet; we're not in seventh grade. And I didn't ran away, I just left quickly…with nothing to say, and," after a quick thinking he said, "yeah man you're right," Warrick shot a "you think?" look at Nick, "Hey, thanks man for the advice ."

"Umm,hmm," Nick left scratching his head, in obvious confusion of how to go about this. Warrick pressed the play button on the keyboard and bean reviewing his evidence once again mumbling to himself, "Making out in a closet…damn, what was that boy thinking?"

After a day that seemed like it would never end, Alexis had fallen onto her couch, her coat and shoes still on, her body to exhausted to move at the moment. Sleep was the first thought that crept into her head. Food, being the next, and then Greg followed after that. That was right, Greg had asked her out! She was still in a daze. She had to keep telling herself that it was no big deal and that he was probably just playing around but at that exact second, her phone rang, and it wasn't her cell phone like usual, it was her house phone. She wasn't even sure it that worked since she had just activated the service a few weeks ago.

"Hello?"

"Hey," a very familiar voice cooed.

"Greg?"

"Whatcha doing?"

"Greg, how did you get this number?"

"Never you mind. Are you busy right now?" Alexis didn't answer for a moment, still trying to comprehend that Greg was calling her on her house phone. She wasn't _busy_ but she had a lot of things she _could_ be doing. She could be sleeping. Or watching TV. Or digging in her fridge for some leftovers.

"No, not really," she responded.

"Good, get your coat on."

"What!" now baffled, she wished she had come up with an excuse.

"You're hungry right?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay, so you know, fix your hair, touch up your makeup or whatever you do, maybe change into something more evening like, and I'll pick you up in twenty."

"Hold on. You aren't coming to pick me up to eat right now. No. Not now"

"C'mon, you said you wanted to go on a date, right now seems like a great time," Alexis wanted to be upset, she really did, but all she could do is groan and sank back into her couch.

"But I'm not ready," she moaned.

"Well then you better hurry up," and the phone went dead.

"Greg? Greg," she hung up the phone and stared at the time on her VCR. She watched the time slowly tick by without moving. _He wouldn't_ she told herself. The clock changed its minute and she jolted up of the couch. _He would!_ she thought to herself.

She ran to her room and tore her closet door open. She quickly thumbed through her collection of clothes, judging every one of them. What was she going to wear! She didn't even know where she was going! Should she go with the dress? That would look like she tried to hard. What about a nice pant and sweater? No, she wasn't going to work. She quickly settled with a blue jersey dress and a pair of flats. It was casual in case the restaurant was relaxed but dressy enough that she could pass for a nice restaurant. She looked at the clock. _Ten minutes gone already!_ She frantically pulled the dress on and raced to her drawer where she found a pair of black leggings. She whipped those on and then shoved her feet into her shoes. Faced with her self in the bathroom mirror, she pulled her hair out of the ponytail she had been wearing all day. _Good, it was still straight_. A quick brush and she was done. Some blush and some lip gloss and her makeup was done too. Her phone rang again. Alexis raced back into her bedroom only to find no phone in there. Realizing that she only had one phone in her apartment and it was all the way across the hall she let it go to voice mail.

"Hi. You've reached Alexis. I'm not home right now so leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can. BEEP," another voice chimed in on the message, "I'm parking… I'm getting out on the car… Closing the door… Walking to your door… Pushing your buzzer… Waiting for you to let me in…"

Hastily putting on an earring, Alexis slid across the hard wood floor and rang the buzzer, not thinking to turn the answering machine off.

"…Oh, good. You're ready. I almost thought you would make me wait. I'm walking up the stairs… Still walking… Still walking…"

Alexis finished snapping her bracelet on her wrist and stood by the door. She could hear the muffled foot steps getting louder and louder and a deep voice narrating his every move, still in sync with her answering machine.

"…I'm knocking on the door…"

Alexis opened the door, Greg's fist still in mid air, and his cell phone held up to his ear. He closed the phone and the answering machine within the apartment beeped loudly.

"I guess you heard me," he said, "Ready?" Alexis checked over her mental checklist.

"Oh! Purse!" she turned to go back inside when she quickly stopped and looked back at her date, "Wait here. Don't take a step further," she slowly walked backwards, pointing at Greg, "I mean it." When she thought it was safe enough she ran to her closet again and quickly pulled out a purse. She picked up the clothes that she had thrown on the floor during her selection process and shoved them back into the closet, shutting the door to hide the evidence. She walked fast through her apartment, picking up things as she went and stuffing them in random drawers, a way to clean up in case someone were to be roaming around her place even when she told him not to.

"Okay, let's go," Alexis appeared back at the doorway to find Greg propped up against the doorway, his arms folded loosely. Alexis nudged him out of the way and locked the door behind her.

Greg, now leaning on the wall next to her door, gave Alexis a long once over; admiring her outfit and the sparkling dangle earrings she wore. He made no effort to hide the fact that he was ogling her. She gave him a stare and he pushed himself off the wall and unfolded his arms.

"How long did it take you to put that number together?"

"What? This thing? Oh, please," she was so happy that it didn't look like she had just had a run in with a closet of mismatched outfits and accessories. She pulled the key out of the lock and headed for the stairs. She could feel Greg's eyes following her as she walked. To Greg, she looked as if she was floating down the hallway, her dress fluttering up slightly when the wind passed by. How lucky he felt to have this girl as his date.


End file.
